


Scissors

by thewishingdragon



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/F, Hanahaki AU, Pining, So much flower symbolism, flower symbolism, the amount of flowers in this fic is absurd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-07-01 17:42:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15778938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewishingdragon/pseuds/thewishingdragon
Summary: Veronica has to remind herself not to think about it too much. Not to think about them too much.





	1. Pruning Shears

When Veronica was about five or six, her father started letting her help in the garden. He taught her how to take care of the flowers and other plants; how much water they needed, how to pull up the weeds, the best ways to keep birds from eating the seeds before they could sprout.

The most useful thing she learned, however, was how to prune the bushes. He taught her the proper way to trim back the overgrown parts and remove the bits that had died.

She ended up using that knowledge often in later years.

* * *

 

First it had been Heather Duke, reading to Martha on a bench during recess. Veronica hid behind the old oak tree they were seated under and listened as Duke spoke, enunciating clearly as she’d likely been taught when she started reading. Veronica had felt a tickle at the back of her throat, and ran off before she could erupt into a coughing fit that would no doubt alert them to her eavesdropping. She found a quiet place in the bushes to hide and coughed until she could hardly catch her breath.

The vines curled at the ends, the bright purple of the morning glories beautiful in the dappled sunlight.

Veronica began to panic. She didn’t know what was happening, only that it wasn’t good. Her nails dug into the vines, tearing at them in an attempt to remove the sudden growth as tears built in the corners of her eyes. Pulling at them hurt, so instead she scratched and gnawed at them until the long vines fell to the ground, the severed ends at the back of her throat receding slowly until she could breathe again.

She stood on shaking legs and wandered over to the teacher, told her she wasn’t feeling well, and less than half an hour later, her mother arrived to take her home.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” her mother had asked once they got home, “You can tell me if something’s bothering you.”

Veronica looked down at her hands and winced. There was still green under her nails.

“I saw something scary.”

“What was it?”

“Flowers,” she muttered, suddenly feeling silly.

Her mother frowned in confusion. “What kind of flowers, honey?”

“Morning glories, I think.” Her hands clenched into fists at the memory. “I started coughing, and then they came out of my mouth. I didn’t have anything to cut them with, so I used my hands.”

Mrs. Sawyer froze, then quickly gathered Veronica up in her arms, holding her tightly. “Oh sweetheart.”

Veronica’s bottom lip trembled. She wanted to cry. “I dunno why it happened. I saw this girl on the playground, and they just…” She bit her lip as fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her mother shushed her. “It’s okay, sweetie. As long as you don’t think about it, it won’t happen again.”

“Really?”

Her mother nodded, a sad look in her eye that Veronica couldn’t name, and they sat there until her dad got home.

* * *

 

 

She’d learned what was happening to her later that afternoon.

“It’s called Hanahaki Disease,” her dad said, “It causes flowers to grow whenever you think about whoever caused them to appear.”

Veronica whimpered, fearful of more flowers coming up.

“It’ll be okay,” he said, “It was just morning glories, right? The vines are thin, so it would take a lot of them to be dangerous. You can manage that.”

“Isn’t there a way to make them go away?” Veronica whined.

“There is,” her mom said, “But it’s dangerous, and it might not work all the way.”

“But,” her dad said, “You can manage it. From what you told us, it sounds like if you trim them back they’ll go away for a while.”

Her mother frowned. “You can’t just expect her to carry pruning shears everywhere.”

Veronica grimaced. “Why’s this even happening?”

Her parents shared a look, before her dad cleared his throat. “It happens when you find your soulmate and they don’t feel the same way you do.”

Veronica blinked. “What’s that mean?”

“It means,” her father sighed, “It means that you’re in love with someone who doesn’t love you back.”

“Yet,” her mother said, “They don’t love you _yet._ They might, if you wait a while. Sometimes it just takes a bit of time.”

Veronica nodded, hearing every word, but not quite absorbing it.

Her soulmate didn’t love her.

Was there something wrong with her?

Wordlessly, she slipped off the couch and went upstairs to her room, closing the door quietly behind her, and climbed into bed. She later found herself dreaming of old oak trees and books and a girl with dark hair and pretty green eyes and woke up to more morning glories.

She didn’t go to school that day.

* * *

 

In the years that followed, Veronica learned to manage her condition. She’d tried carrying pruning shears with her at first, like her mother had said, but hadn’t been allowed to leave the house with them in her pocket, so she settled for scissors. Whenever she felt the tickle of vines at the back of her throat, she’d use them to trim back the growing plants and shuddered every time as they retreated back down.

As she grew, the instances that she needed her scissors became fewer and farther between, yet she still kept them tucked safely in her pocket.

Even now, as the Heathers stood around her, appraising her, she kept her hand wrapped around them in case she felt the flowers coming up again, fully prepared to dash out of the bathroom should Duke’s piercing green eyes send her into a coughing fit.

Duke sneered up at her. “Of course, you could stand to lose a few pounds.”

Veronica winced at the venom in Duke's voice, the reality of her situation sending a pang of sadness through her heart. Heather didn’t love her. She might never love her.

She breathed in deeply and tried not to think as they talked amongst themselves.

After all, it was for the best if she wanted to avoid having to explain herself as the vines spilled from her throat.


	2. Delicate Beauty

Veronica’s in fourth grade when she starts to fall for Heather McNamara.

She’d watched Kurt and Ram back Betty Finn into a corner on the playground and taunt her until she cried, and then suddenly Heather was there, tugging them away from her and yelling at them to leave her alone before she  _ made _ them leave her alone, and Veronica felt her heart swell.

Almost immediately, she felt that telltale tickle at the back of her throat that made her breath catch as she looked around for a quiet place to hide.

She runs into the bushes and hacks up soft pink petals. She’s confused. She’d thought Heather Duke was her soulmate.

Was she wrong? Or maybe…

“Veronica?”

Veronica’s head snaps up. Martha’s standing just outside her hiding place, looking confused and ever so slightly scared.

“Don’t just stand there!” Veronica hisses, “Come here before someone else sees!”

Martha obeys, sitting down next to her and rubbing her back soothingly as she coughs, until a large pink blossom erupts from her mouth, the petals a vibrant pink that Veronica would have found beautiful if the stem wasn’t poking out of her throat.

She takes a deep breath in, and suddenly chokes as one of the petals flies into her windpipe. She coughs violently, dislodging it easily, and instructs herself to take slow, shallow breaths as she retrieves her scissors from her pocket and carefully cuts through the woody stem.

Martha watches, half horrified and half awed, as the bloom drops to the ground, the stem retreating back as the vines always had.

“Veronica…” Martha’s eyes are glued to the flower still gripped in Veronica’s hand.

“It’s a Hibiscus,” Veronica says, “Dad grows them in the garden sometimes.”

“But why’d it come out of your mouth?” Martha’s tone is more scared than anything else now, “Are you okay? What’s going on?!”

Veronica sighs. “It’s called Hanahaki Disease. It means my soulmate doesn’t love me.”

Martha’s eyes light up in understanding, and Veronica holds her as she cries on Veronica’s behalf.

* * *

 

It doesn’t take her long to figure out what’s going on. When she thinks of Heather Duke, she still finds vines of Morning Glories spilling forth, and when she thinks of Heather McNamara, she coughs up more Hibiscus flowers. She realizes that she has two soulmates, and it terrifies her.

What if she has more soulmates?

What if they don’t love her, either?

She doesn’t tell Martha this. Martha would fuss over her and worry and cry and Veronica loves her sensitive nature, but she really doesn’t need anyone else worrying about her.

She’ll be fine, she thinks. After all, her mother told her that it’s probably only a matter of time. Just because they don’t love her yet doesn’t mean they never will. It just means she needs to be patient. She can do that.

Soon after the first incident, Betty joins her and Martha. Veronica wishes that knowing that Betty and Martha were both abandoned by her soulmates could make her stop loving them, if only to stop these flowers, but it doesn’t. Still, she finds comfort in the two of them when the flowers come. They distract her with movie nights and sleepovers and she manages to forget about her soulmates for a while, and if an incident should occur, they cover for her when teachers ask why Veronica’s so desperate to get away and hide.

She doesn’t have that now, when Heather McNamara’s standing in front of her and studying her face, judging her to see if she’s up to standard. She knows this is bad. She knows she should get away before she starts coughing up petals and leaves, but she stays, if only to be close to these girls who don’t love her. She should run, should hide in the library, the band room, the auditorium, the nurse’s office, the furthest bathroom from here, with her scissors at the ready to cut through the growth that threatens to suffocate her, but she’s glued to the spot by soft looking blonde hair and shimmery hazel eyes that look almost gold under the fluorescent lights and a smile that makes her heart flutter and petals bloom in her lungs.

She takes a slow, deep breath as her fingers wrap around the cold steel in her pocket and wills the moment to pass as soon as it can, because the Hibiscus flowers that bloom when she thinks of Heather McNamara are beautiful, but the soft pink petals get caught in her throat with each panicked gulp of air, and she has to remind herself to breathe slow when she thinks of her, lest she choke on her own affection.


	3. Pride and Splendid Beauty

Veronica hates roses.

Ever since she first fell for Heather Chandler, she’s hated roses.

Ever since that first flutter in her chest as she saw steel gray eyes and bright red curly hair and freckles like stars dotting her pale skin, ever since the sharp pain that followed, ever since the red petals, stained redder with blood, and the thorns cutting at her throat as she struggled to breathe, she’s despised the flower with her entire being.

She was in fifth grade. Heather Chandler had been a new student. She’d smiled sweetly when she told the class about herself, and Veronica had run out of the room as soon as she realized she had yet another soulmate who didn’t love her. She ran to the nearest bathroom, Betty hot on her trail as Martha gave the teacher some excuse about her feeling nauseous, and curled up in the corner, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as the thorns slashed at her insides.

She could hardly do much more than scream and cry as Betty arrived and attempted to comfort her. When she saw the blood, the drooping, sticky petals of the rose blossoms, she got up and ran to the nurse, and Veronica had ended up being hospitalized.

Betty and Martha visited her every day while she recovered, and for the first time, Veronica seriously considered getting the surgery that would remove these flowers and the feelings that came with them. The only thing that stopped her was the thought that she wouldn’t be able to love any of her soulmates, or anyone else, for that matter. She’d be numb and miserable for the rest of her life.

So instead, she found a book about flowers, and found one that she thought suited Heather Chandler much better than a rose. One that would hopefully hurt much less.

* * *

 

After that day, she never thought of Heather Chandler as a Rose. These days, Veronica thinks of Amaryllises when she thinks of Heather. Proud and beautiful and impossible not to notice. The thick stems choke her slightly as the pointed leaves tickle her throat, and she handles the scissors with care. The stems are far more rigid than the delicate vines of the Morning Glories, and harder to cut through than the slim stems of the Hibiscus flowers. One wrong move and she could end up hurting herself. So she carefully tilts the stem to one side while she watches her other hand in the mirror, making sure the stem is the only thing between the blades before she cuts it out, watching with relief and some slight twinge of disappointment as the star shaped flower falls into the trash, and cringing slightly as the rest of the stem retreats back down.

Betty and Martha eye her worriedly when she leaves the bathroom on that first day of senior year, trailing behind the Heathers by only a few steps. She smiles reassuringly, and later sends them both a text, promising that she’ll remember her scissors and that she’ll tell them if anything happens.

That night, though, when she’s laying in bed, she remembers silvery gray eyes locking her in place, a pale hand holding her chin in place as those eyes inspected her for any flaws, the slight upward quirk of bright red lips, the red curls that cascaded over her shoulders and framed her face perfectly, and she sighs, before reaching into her nightstand drawer and retrieving her scissors. She walks calmly to her bathroom, turns on the light, and regards her tired face in the mirror as she prepares to feel the rigid stems crawling up her throat.

The bright red blossom is beautiful, even as she steadies her hand to cut through the rigid stem, and she thinks that it’s fitting that the girl who seems to be made of red would have her coughing up red flowers.

* * *

 

She makes a conscious effort not to think of any of them. The moment she allows her mind to wander, she’s likely to choke on her own feelings. She feels a pressure in her chest whenever she’s around them, and she sometimes imagines that it’s the roots of the flowers squeezing her heart, sapping her life from her as they grow unbidden in her lungs.

This love is killing her, she knows, but she can’t lose it. The feeling is too sweet, the longing far too intoxicating for her to just abandon the bittersweet sensation for the death of a few blossoms.

Still, it’s the flowers, or her, and they’re too deeply rooted in her body for her to be rid of them through medical means.

Either the Heathers accept her feelings, and she lives, or they reject her, and she dies.


	4. Chapter 4

“I heard something interesting today,” Duke said, hopping up onto the edge of Veronica’s bed and toying with a loose thread on her blazer.

Mac perked up in interest from her perch on top of Veronica’s dresser. “What was it?”

Chandler scoffed. “Probably just a fight or something boring like that.”

“Nope,” Duke grinned, “Apparently, there have been an awful lot of flowers in the trash can at the nurse’s station lately.”

Veronica felt her shoulders tense, eyes wide and fingers hovering over the keys on her laptop.

Chandler shrugged, leaning back against the side of Veronica’s bed as she examined her nails. “So somebody’s got a thing for the nurse. Big deal.”

Duke leaned forwards so she was in Chandler’s line of sight. “Not those kinds of flowers.”

Mac’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What kind of flowers, then?”

When Duke spoke, her voice came out in a low whisper, as though she was telling some sort of dark secret. And, in a way, she was.

“Someone’s got Hanahaki. Probably a student.”

Mac didn’t seem to understand. “What’s that mean?”

Veronica sighed. “It means someone’s got a soulmate that doesn’t love them back, and because of that, flowers are growing in their lungs.”

Mac winced in sympathy. “That sounds painful.”

“It is,” Duke said, “Which is why it’s weird that nobody knows who’s coughing them up. People would notice a thing like that.”

Chandler rolled her eyes, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “It’s not like it matters. Whoever it is, they’ll just tell their soulmate how they feel and everything will be fine.”

Mac seemed comforted by that statement.

Duke shook her head. “That isn’t guaranteed to happen. And you know what happens if their soulmate rejects them?”

“What?” Mac asked.

“They die.” Veronica closed her laptop, fixing all three of the Heathers with a grim stare. “If the soulmate doesn’t reciprocate their feelings, the flowers will keep growing until they suffocate their host.”

Mac’s eyes widened as she looked to Duke, who only nodded in solemn agreement. She turned to Chandler for some sort of reassurance, but found her staring at the ground.

“There’s another option though, right?” Mac looked between Veronica and the other two Heathers. “There’s another way to fix it if their soulmate still doesn’t love them back, isn’t there?”

Veronica nodded slowly. “There’s a surgery. It’s risky though. You’ve got about a fifty-fifty chance of dying on the operating table, and even if you make it through the operation, there’s no guarantee it’ll stick. They could come back.”

Any hope that was present in Mac’s expression wilted away. “Oh.”

“Besides, it’s not like you’d want the surgery, anyway.” Veronica stood and walked over to the small bookshelf by the bed. “If it takes, and that’s a big if, then the patient loses the ability to love. Every kind of love. Family, friends, everything. It’s just… gone.”

Mac frowned. “So there’s not really any other option, then?”

Veronica shook her head, picking a book from the bookshelf and opening it. “There are ways to manage it, though. As long as you don’t think of your soulmate, they won’t come back up, and if you cut them, then the growth will recede for a while. That would explain the flowers in the nurse’s trash can.”

“That’s good,” Duke sighed in relief, “It would suck if you couldn’t stop them from killing you.”

“That’s the kicker,” Veronica said, holding out the book, which was open to a diagram showing the progression of the disease, “No matter how much you try to manage it, if your soulmate doesn’t love you back, you’re fucked.”

“What’s this?” Chandler asked, pointing at a picture of a human heart with what looked like cracks across the surface like spiderwebs.

“The roots.” Veronica turned the page. “If the flowers don’t suffocate the host, then the roots will grow into the heart and strangle it. If you find out you’ve got Hanahaki, you’re as good as dead.”

The Heathers were all pale as ghosts.

Veronica closed the book and put it back on the bookshelf. “On the plus side,” she said, “That only happens years after it manifests, on the off chance that they manage to avoid the worst of it. On the downside, once the roots get to a certain point, there’s no removing them through surgery.”

“So there’s really only one option for whoever’s got it, huh?” Mac wrung her hands nervously. “Either their soulmate loves them back, or the host dies.”

Veronica nodded grimly. “I’m afraid so. Depending on how long they’ve been dealing with it, they might not have much time left.”

Duke frowned. “I didn’t know it was that serious.”

Chandler grimaced. “It’s awful. Why do you even know about all this, Veronica?”

“No real reason,” Veronica said, the lie tripping off of her tongue easily, “It just stood out to me, I guess. You cough up a flower that reminds you of your soulmate, and if you leave your feelings to fester, they’ll eventually kill you. Seems kind of poetic, doesn’t it?”

Chandler shuddered. “It seems like an absolute nightmare, if you ask me. Whoever it is, they should just tell their soulmate and get it over with.”

“Some people don’t want to do that, though,” Duke said.

“Why the hell wouldn’t they? Just tell them how you feel! It’s not that hard!”

“Would you want someone doing that to you, though?” Veronica asked, “Would you really want someone to just tell you that they’d die if you rejected them?”

“Better than them dying, right?”

“Maybe, but it still seems…” Veronica paused as she tried to find the right word. “It seems manipulative. I don’t know about you, but if I told someone I loved them, I wouldn’t want them to accept my feelings out of some sense of obligation. I’d want them to love me because it’s what they want.”

Chandler made a face. “You have a point.”

Thankfully, Duke chose that moment to break the tension. “Hey, let’s stop talking about this now. It’s upsetting all of us and we don’t need that kind of thing going through our heads right now.”

Veronica chuckled.  _ If only you knew. _ “Alright, what would you rather talk about?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I haven't finished all the chapters I wanted to, but I figured since this one's done, I might as well post it. The next chapter will be up next week!

Betty and Martha had been trying to get her to tell them for years now.

“They’re your  _ soulmates, _ Veronica!” Betty shook her by her shoulders, as though trying to force her to understand what she was saying. “They’re  _ supposed _ to love you back!”

Martha’s urging was less aggressive, but no less insistent.

“I don’t want to lose you, Veronica. You’ve got to tell them before it gets too bad.”

Her parents urged her to say something, even if  it was just in some indirect, roundabout way, to let them know what she felt.

“We’re not going to ask you to get the surgery,” her father assured her, “But you should consider saying something. You at least need to know if they could feel the same way you do.”

Her mother nodded grimly. “If nothing else, you’ll have closure.”

Veronica understood their reasoning, she really did. She’d read the books they got her, tried to understand her condition as well as she possibly could, and at this point, she knew the progression of events by heart, could probably recite the stages of development in her sleep. Still, she didn’t want them to agree to be with her just because she was sick. The thought of using her illness to force something to happen between her and the Heathers felt cheap. It felt dishonorable and selfish, and she refused to do that to them, even if it meant she had to suffer a bit longer.

Still, as she sat on the cot in the nurse’s office choking on stems and vines and leaves and petals, she wondered if she’d ever make it to the day that even one of the Heathers fell for her. She sighed, thoroughly tired of being in the nurse’s office so often, and pulled her scissors out of her pocket, the sound of steel cutting through the stems the only sound other than the hum of the air conditioning and the buzz of the fluorescent lights. She swallowed thickly as the severed ends of the stems shrank back, shuddering at the feeling and tossing the flowers into the trash.

She slumped forwards, arms resting heavily on her knees. She looked up as the nurse walked in a moment later and gave her a strained smile that probably looked more like a grimace, if the nurse’s look of pity was anything to go by.

“Don’t worry dear,” she said, patting Veronica lightly on the shoulder, “Sometimes these things just take a while. You’ve just got to be patient.”

Veronica nodded. She didn’t have the heart to tell her that she’d been patient for over a decade now, and she probably wouldn’t be able to take much more waiting.

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt,” she said instead, voice rough.

The nurse nodded sympathetically, pressing a hard candy into her palm. “To help your throat,” she said, “It helps a lot with the scratchy feeling.”

Veronica smiled and unwrapped it, popping it in her mouth and resisting the urge to bite down as the taste of citrus bloomed across her tongue. She hummed appreciatively and gave the nurse a thumbs up.

“I figured you’d like that kind,” she said, “You’re in here often enough that I ought to know what you need.”

The door to the nurse’s station opened, and Veronica and the nurse looked up to see who it was.

Veronica inhaled sharply, eyes wide as she spotted Heather Duke.

Duke met her eyes, challenging her to say something, before turning to the nurse. “I threw up and one of the teachers told me to come here.”

The nurse immediately had her sit down on the cot, passing her the small plastic trash bin. “Poor dear. I’m going to go call your parents, you sit tight and don’t move around too much. It might upset your stomach.”

Duke rolled her eyes as soon as the nurse was out of sight. “I’m not sick,” she muttered.

Veronica shrugged. “That’s debatable, honestly.”

“Why the fuck are you even here?” Duke demanded, “You were fine this morning.”

“I stopped being fine,” Veronica said, used to evading questions like these after years of having to come up with excuses, “She lets me sit in here until I feel okay again.”

Duke said nothing, putting the trash bin down on the floor, before doing a double take and peering inside.

“Flowers,” she said, “The same kinds Courtney was talking about.”

Veronica stiffened. She had hoped Duke wouldn’t have been paying that much attention. Luck didn’t appear to be on her side today, apparently.

Duke met her gaze, searching Veronica’s expression for clues. “Do you know where they came from?”

Veronica debated whether or not to say anything. On the one hand, one of her soulmates would know about her condition. On the other, Duke was the type to gossip. Whatever she said had a chance of finding its way back to Chandler and Mac, and possibly the rest of the school.

Still, it wasn’t like she had to tell Duke  _ who _ her soulmates were.

Besides, she was many things, but she wasn’t a liar. Not when it was important, anyway.

“Yeah.”

Duke’s eyes sparkled, and she leaned in close. “Who coughed them up? I need to know!”

Veronica tried to deflect. “Why?”

Duke frowned. “Because! If I know whose flowers they are, then maybe we can figure out who their soulmates are and help things along!”

Veronica blinked. “That’s… awfully noble of you, Heather.”

Duke snorted. “Whatever. Where’d they come from?”

“Me.” Veronica averted her gaze. “They’re mine.”

“...Yours?”

Veronica nodded.

“That’s why you had all those books about it, isn’t it?” Duke asked, voice small and… worried?

“Yeah,” she admitted, “My parents wanted me to understand what was happening so I could manage it better.”

“How…” Duke winced, and Veronica thought she had a hunch as to what the question was going to be. “How long has it been going on?”

Veronica sighed. “Twelve years for the Morning Glories. I think eight for the Hibiscus flowers? And maybe six or seven for the Amaryllises.”

Duke’s brow furrowed as she considered Veronica’s words. “So… three soulmates? And you’ve been in love with one of them for over a decade?”

“Yeah.” Veronica found herself picking at her nail polish. “The roots are too deep for surgery to take care of them.”

“So they either fall in love with you, or…”

“Yeah.”

A heavy silence settled over them, so thick you could cut it with a knife. Or scissors. Veronica stifled a laugh at the thought.

“Why those specific flowers?”

Veronica shrugged. “Morning Glories are sort of obvious, when I think about it. The person I fell for… they’re amazingly beautiful, but you’ve got to be careful, because the moment can pass really quickly and they’ll close themself off. But when they open up and show their real self, she’s so unbelievably radiant that-” The moment she realized her slip up, her mouth snapped shut.

“She?” Duke didn’t seem to be judging her. In fact, she looked… hopeful? That couldn’t be right. “Are they all girls?”

Veronica nodded, biting the inside of her cheek.

“Tell me about the other two,” Duke prompted, scooting closer. “Why Hibiscus flowers? Why Amaryllises?”

Veronica laughed humorlessly. “To tell you the truth, they weren’t always Amaryllises.”

“What were they?”

“Roses.”

Duke grimaced. “Ouch.”

Veronica snickered. “You’ve got that right. I can’t even stand them after what happened the first time.”

“So you just… changed it?”

Veronica grinned. “I just had to find a flower that fit her better, and I figured nothing fit her personality more than a flower whose meaning is  _ pride _ and  _ splendid beauty. _ ”

Duke laughed. “So an exceptionally beautiful and proud girl.  How _ ever _ will I figure out who it is?”

Veronica pushed at her shoulder playfully. “Don’t you dare tell her.”

Duke smirked. “Don’t tell who?  _ Heather? _ ”

Veronica felt her cheeks warm against her will.

“ _ Hah! _ I  _ knew _ it!”

“Listen! I already told you why I don’t want to tell her!”

Duke rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You don’t want to manipulate her into loving you. Don’t worry. If it bothers you that much, then I won’t tell.”

Veronica let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Now, what do Hibiscus flowers mean?”

“Delicate beauty.”

Heather snickered. “That’s an awfully roundabout way to say you think Mac’s cute.”

“I was nine!”

“You were a really pretentious nine-year-old, then.”

Veronica’s eyes narrowed. “Says the girl who was quoting Dracula in kindergarten.”

Duke’s face turned as red as Chandler’s scrunchie. “ _ Did Martha tell you about that? _ ”

“Nope,” Veronica grinned, “I found that out on my own.”

“Tell  _ no one, _ ” she hissed.

“Sure thing. Not like it’d do anything to your reputation, anyways. Everyone already knows you like books more than people.”

It was a surprisingly peaceful moment between the two of them, and Veronica was sure she was falling even harder for Duke by this point. Still, she didn’t want to ruin the moment with a confession. She just wanted to enjoy it for a while, to soak up this rare moment when Duke was unrestrained and open and so, so amazingly radiant that Veronica felt her heart racing.

After all, Duke’s parents would come to get her soon, and the moment would pass, and there was no telling how long she’d have to wait to see her petals unfurl again.


	6. Chapter 6

Things had gotten… interesting, following her confession to Duke about her condition.

For one, she’d mellowed out considerably in her treatment of Veronica. She was a lot more gentle and careful with her phrasing when they talked, and while Veronica hated the thought that she was being coddled, she wasn’t about to complain about her being nicer.

On the other hand, she seemed dead set on setting Veronica up with Chandler and Mac however she could. She’d set up plans and bail last minute, or find excuses to leave her alone with one or both of the other Heathers, and it was starting to get old.

At the moment, she was sitting at the lunch table next to Mac after Duke insisted on trading seats with her.

Chandler seemed suspicious, but she didn’t say anything about it. “So, Heather, how’d your math test go?”

Mac winced. “I failed. Again.”

Duke regarded her curiously. “You know you have to keep your grades up or else you’ll be kicked off the cheer squad, right?”

Mac nodded dejectedly. “I guess I should just start getting ready to lose my spot.”

Veronica frowned. “Have you considered tutoring?”

“I’ve tried that,” Mac said, “But it just never makes sense.”

“Maybe the problem is that they aren’t teaching you in a way that makes sense to you,” Veronica suggested.

“Maybe,” Mac mumbled, “Or maybe I’m just dumb.”

Veronica wrapped an arm around Mac’s shoulders in what she hoped was a comforting gesture and looked up at Duke and Chandler, hoping one of them knew how to make the situation better.

“Veronica could tutor you.”

Duke was grinning at her conspiratorially, and Veronica resisted the urge to groan.

Mac looked up at her. “Could you?”

Veronica shrugged. “I mean, I’ve got decent grades in math, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to explain things right.”

“Just try it,” Duke said, “It’s not like you can make it worse.”

Veronica mulled it over. It wasn’t a bad idea, all things considered. She’d get to spend more time with Mac and hopefully help her keep her grades high enough to stay on the cheer squad.

“Alright. We’ll give it a shot. If it works, we can set up a schedule and study together.”

Mac beamed and hugged her tightly, and Veronica prayed to whatever god there was that her foundation would be enough to conceal her blush.

* * *

 

“So, did you figure out the answer?”

“I think so,” Mac said, passing the paper across the desk.

Veronica scanned over her work and checked her answer.

“That’s it! You’re doing great!” Veronica grinned and handed the paper back.

Mac’s eyes shone with a fragile hope. She stared down at the page, at the equation Veronica wrote down for her, and looked back up at the proud smile on Veronica’s face. She laughed, a disbelieving sound that was still music to Veronica’s ears, and smiled as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes.

“I get it! I actually understand it!”

Veronica felt her heart soar at the look on Mac’s face, giddy and hopeful.

“I knew you could do it,” she said.

“Thank you so much!” Mac stood from the chair and swept Veronica into a crushing hug. “I didn’t think I could, but you believed in me, and I get it now!”

Veronica giggled, wrapping her arms around Mac’s shoulders. “You just needed someone to explain it a little differently, I think.”

Mac squealed in excitement, picking Veronica up and twirling her around. “You know what this means?! It means I can stay on the cheer squad! If we keep studying together, I’ll be good at math in no time!”

Veronica let out a surprised laugh at how strong Mac was. “I’m more than happy to study with you! How’s once a week sound? We can study together on nights before you have tests too, if you think it’ll help.”

Mac nodded, putting Veronica back on the ground and grabbing her hands as she jumped up and down, looking like Christmas had come early. “I’d love that!”

Veronica gave her an encouraging smile and led her back to her chair, ignoring the fluttery sensation she felt in her chest at Mac's joyful expression. “Alright. You’ve got that problem down. Let’s see how you do with your homework.”

Mac fished the worksheet out of her bag and put it down on the desk, eyes bright and determined as she got to work.

* * *

 

The next week, Mac sauntered up to the lunch table, test paper in hand, and slid it across the table to Veronica.

“Ninety-six percent,” she declared, puffing out her chest in a show of pride.

Veronica grinned. “That’s amazing, Heather! I’m so happy for you!”

Duke smirked. “Looks like my suggestion paid off.”

Veronica chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it did.”

Mac hugged Duke tight, squishing the shorter girl against her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you so _ much! _ It was such a good idea!”

Duke chuckled nervously. “Heather. I need to breathe.”

Mac let go and stepped back, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry. I’m just so happy!”

Duke shrugged. “It’s fine. Just be gentle next time.”

“Yeah, Heather,” Chandler remarked, “Be gentle with her. She’s not used to rough stuff.”

Duke grimaced, but said nothing.

Veronica frowned. “Anyway, Heather, what days do you have free this week? I want to make sure we have time to study together.”

Duke sighed, seemingly relieved to have everyone’s attention focused on Mac instead. Veronica made a note to talk to her about it in private later.

“Oh, I’m free Thursday night after cheer practice,” Mac said, “But it’ll be a little late. Probably around seven?”

Veronica nodded. “Alright. Thursday it is, then.”

She thought she saw Chandler frowning at the three of them, but she shrugged it off as her just being her usual pissy self.

She quickly stomped out the flicker of hope that Chandler wanted to spend time with her. She was Heather fucking Chandler, for Christ’s sake. She was above all that cheesy shit.

At least, Veronica thought she was. She had no way of knowing if that was actually true, though.

After all, the Heathers seemed to be surprising her a lot lately.


	7. Chapter 7

When Chandler had insisted on taking Veronica shopping,  _ alone, _ Veronica had been suspicious.

When she told Duke to drive Mac home, despite Mac’s house being pretty far out of Duke’s way, Veronica became slightly nervous.

When she let Veronica into her car that Friday afternoon and told her to pick whatever she wanted, that Chandler would pay for everything, Veronica was convinced that Heather Chandler had been replaced by some sort of android or a pod person.

Duke, however, had shot her a thumbs up and led Mac outside to her jeep, leaving Veronica alone with what could very well have been a murderous replica of their friend.

At least she could find comfort in the fact that, if Chandler  _ had _ been replaced or brainwashed or something, she could likely subdue and/or outrun her easily. Chandler was almost never seen without her three inch heels, after all. They’d be hell to chase someone down in. And running barefoot wasn’t something she could really picture Chandler doing.

“What are you thinking about?”

Veronica was jolted out of her reverie at the sound of Chandler’s voice. “What?”

Chandler rolled her eyes, but if Veronica hadn’t known better, she would have almost thought it looked fond, rather than annoyed.

“I asked what you were thinking about,” she said, not taking her eyes off the road, “You looked like you were pretty lost in your own head there.”

“Oh uh,” Veronica wasn’t about to confess her escape plans to a possible android/alien. “Nothing important.”

Chandler snickered. “You must get really into thinking about nothing important, if it’s got you totally zoning out like that.”

Veronica chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I guess.”

Chandler’s smile fell slightly as they pulled up to a red light, Looking Veronica over with what might have been a concerned expression. “Something wrong? You seem… kind of wound up.”

Veronica shrugged. “I just… kind of feel weird when people spend a lot of money on me. With family, it’s fine, but with people I haven’t known for very long… I dunno. It feels kind of like I’m taking advantage of you.” Not what was on her mind, but also not technically a lie.

Chandler snorted. “I can afford it.”

“I know, but-”

“Veronica.” Chandler’s tone brokered no room for argument. “It’s fine. Let me spoil you.”

Veronica blinked. She felt heat rise to her cheeks and cursed her decision to forego foundation when doing her makeup. She was sure Chandler could see the bright flush that painted itself across her cheeks.

Sure enough, Chandler hummed appreciatively, a knowing smirk stretching across her face. “You know, you look pretty good in red.”

Veronica willed herself to ignore the effect the words had on her. That’s it. This definitely wasn’t Heather Chandler. Or it was some kind of Stepford Wives version of Heather Chandler. And even if this  _ was _ the real Heather Chandler, she was acting too weird for Veronica not to be suspicious.

“Y’know…” Veronica chose her words carefully, “I’m not used to seeing you like this.”

“What do you mean?”

Veronica shrugged. “I never really pegged you as the type to spoil someone you only just started talking to a month ago.”

Chandler didn’t look at her. “Well, maybe this person is different.”

“Different how?”

Chandler didn’t answer.

* * *

 

Chandler seemed to be getting annoyed with her.

Honestly, it was a fair reaction, if one were to take into account Veronica’s own behavior. They’d arrived at the mall and Chandler had immediately dragged her to the nearest clothing store, where Veronica proceeded to spend the next thirty minutes looking at clothes, picking something she liked, looking at the price tag, and immediately putting it back. It happened again at the next store. And the next. And the next. She was almost certain it was getting on Chandler’s nerves by now.

Still, despite the fact that Chandler had told her to pick whatever she wanted, Veronica didn’t want her to spend a lot of money on her. It made her anxious enough knowing that someone else was going to be paying for her. She wanted to be careful about how much she ended up making Chandler spend.

“I kinda like this,” Veronica murmured, picking out a powder blue cardigan and searching for the tag. “...Never mind.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Chandler huffed.

“It’s eighty-eight dollars. I’m not going to make you spend that much on me.”

Chandler looked at her, then at the cardigan, sighed, and grabbed it from the rack before turning on her heel and walking towards the checkout counter.

“Heather, wait!” Veronica had to remind herself not to run as she tried to catch up to her. “What are you doing?”

“You liked it, so I’m buying it,” Chandler said.

“Nope. No way. Not happening. It’s way too pricey.” Veronica tried to grab the cardigan, but Chandler held it out of her reach.

“I told you, I can afford it.”

“Heather!” Veronica swiped the cardigan out of Chandler’s grasp, “I wanted it, I saw the price tag, and I decided I didn’t want it anymore. I’ll find something, but I’m not going to let you spend this much on me.”

“It’s not even a hundred dollars.”

“It’s too close for my taste.”

Chandler rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

Veronica nodded and put it back, before following Chandler out of the store.

“Wanna stop for a while and get something to eat?” Veronica asked, “I think we could both use a break.”

Chandler nodded absently, frowning to herself as she followed Veronica to the food court.

Veronica went up to the Charley’s counter and ordered her food, checking around the food court for a good place to sit while she waited. She wasn’t expecting to see Chandler sitting by herself at one of the tables, frowning down at her phone.

Veronica turned back around and paid for her food, before ordering something for Chandler. Once she’d paid for that, she walked over to the Jamba Juice counter and ordered two smoothies before walking over to the table Chandler had claimed and sitting down across from her.

“Here,” she said, sliding a tray towards her. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got two of my usual order. I remembered that you liked strawberry smoothies, though, so I went and got one.”

Chandler stared at her for a few seconds, as if she was trying to solve a particularly complex puzzle, before letting out a quiet “Thank you.”

Veronica grinned. “Don’t worry. It’s my treat, since you had to deal with my indecisiveness this whole trip.”

Chandler snorted. “This doesn’t quite make up for it, but the food does look pretty good.”

“What’ll make up for it, then?”

“Stop worrying about how much everything costs and let me pay for you.”

“Sorry, but that’s not gonna happen,” Veronica said, “I’m an anxious person, and money gives me tons of anxiety, especially when I’m not spending my own.”

Chandler sighed. “Is there any way to make it easier then?”

“I dunno. Betty and Martha just let me pay for my own stuff, and if they buy anything for me when we’re out together, I usually insist on paying them back.”

Chandler thought for a moment. “What about when you’re not out together?”

“Well, if I don’t know the price, then there’s not a lot I can do about it, is there?”

Chandler grinned. “New rule for today, then. No looking at the price tags or the receipts. I’ll take care of that.”

“But-”

“No buts,” Chandler said, “This is my gift to you. You can get anything you want.”

Veronica hummed thoughtfully. “One thing per store.”

“You’ll pick at least two,” Chandler insisted.

“Fine, but no more than five.”

“If that helps, then fine.”

Veronica nodded. “It does.”

“It’s settled then.” Chandler held out her hand.

Veronica shook it, barely managing to suppress a smile as they dug into their food.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :D !!!!!!!!!

Veronica was happier than she’d been in a while.

Of course, the flowers were blooming more often as the Heathers occupied her mind much more frequently, but she was actually starting to have hope that they could love her before her time ran out. Between Chandler spoiling her relentlessly, Mac seemingly trying to find excuses to do _math_ of all things, and Duke having long discussions with her about anything that came to their minds, she was falling harder than ever.

Which is why, when Duke started becoming distant, Veronica started worrying. She’d been so happy when Duke had finally begun to open up, flourishing whenever she had Veronica’s attention, but now the petals were closing up again as the moments seemed to pass all at once. Duke still seemed determined to set her up with Mac and Chandler, but now there was a sad sort of resignation to her actions.

“Something up?” Veronica asked, looking up as Duke entered her room and made a beeline for the bed, clambering on top of the sheets and leaning back against the headboard with a book. “You seem upset.”

Duke gave a noncommittal shrug as she opened her book, not even sparing Veronica a glance. “Just some personal stuff.”

“I’m always willing to listen,” Veronica offered, “It’s the least I can do after you’ve heard me moon over my soulmates these past few weeks.”

Duke said nothing, although her frown deepened.

“...Are you tired of hearing me talk about them? It’s totally fair if you are. I know I don’t seem to shut up about-”

“Don’t. It’s not your fault.”

Veronica didn’t miss the way Duke’s voice cracked when she spoke. It honestly worried her.

“Alright,” she sighed, standing up from her desk chair and flopping down onto the bed next to Duke, “Whatever this is, it’s really bothering you. Out with it.”

“You’ve got your own problems.”

“And you’ve been letting me vent about them,” Veronica said matter-of-factly, “I want to do the same for you.”

“Why?” Duke snapped, “You have no reason to give a shit.”

Veronica huffed. “I’m not sure how you missed the memo, but I care about you. You’re important to me, and if someone important to me is hurting, then I like to help if I can.”

“I just…” Duke grappled helplessly with what she wanted to say, before growling in frustration and pulling Veronica towards her by the collar of her shirt.

Veronica’s eyes widened in alarm that only increased when she felt Duke’s lips against hers, gentle despite the force used to bring them together. It only lasted a second, but it was enough to send shivers up Veronica’s spine and make her heart race as something else twinged in her chest.

Duke pulled back, cheeks red and shoulders hunched, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

Veronica opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, she dissolved into a coughing fit worse than any she’d ever had before.

Duke scrambled to help however she could, holding Veronica’s hand and rubbing soothing circles against her back as she forced out loud, hacking coughs.

It felt like the flowers were coming up, but she wasn’t sure how that could be. Duke had _kissed_ her. She should be _recovering._

Wait.

She knew what was happening. She'd read about it a hundred times before.

She _was_ recovering.

She felt the vines climb up her throat and watched the flowers bloom as they slipped past her lips, only to close back up a second later. Veronica grabbed hold of the tangled mess of leaves and stems and gave it an experimental tug.

No pain.

The roots had detached.

She pulled again, not stopping until she felt the roots at the end of the vines, and gave one last tug, the Morning Glories dislodging themselves easily and wilting slowly in Veronica’s grasp.

Duke watched in awed horror as Veronica gasped for breath and tossed the flowers into the trash bin.

“That... “ Duke blinked in disbelief, “What _was_ that?”

Veronica sucked in a breath. Then another. And another. As she breathed, she felt a smile stretch across her face. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been able to breathe so easily.

“They’re gone.” Veronica turned to Duke and grabbed her shoulders. “They’re gone! The Morning Glories are finally gone!”

Duke stared slack-jawed at Veronica’s face. _“How?”_

Rather than using words, Veronica answered by pressing her lips to Duke’s again, failing to suppress the gleeful laugh that begged to bubble up from her chest.

Duke slowly sank into the kiss, humming in contentment as she brought a hand up to cup Veronica’s cheek.

Veronica laughed giddily and pulled back, peppering Duke’s face with soft, excited kisses, and the reality of what just happened finally registered in Duke’s mind.

“Wait.” Duke pushed Veronica back by the shoulders. “You love me?”

Veronica nodded, beaming down at her, and grabbed both of her hands, eagerly kissing her knuckles.

“Holy shit,” Duke murmured, “You love me. We’re soulmates. We’re _soulmates!_ I’m your soulmate!”

She took in Veronica’s expression. She was all but trembling with barely restrained joy, her hands clasping Duke’s own tight, cheeks pink and eyes sparkling as her grin threatened to split her face in half.

Duke, not being finished with her epiphanies just yet, gasped as another thought occurred to her. “You’ve been in love with me for _twelve years?!”_

“Mmhm! It was _way_ too easy to fall for you, y'know.”

Duke shook her head, the ends of her lips quirking up in a disbelieving smile. “God, no _wonder_ I wasn’t coughing up flowers over you! You already loved me! I just thought I wasn’t your soulmate! I thought I was just being dumb when I got upset over you waxing poetic about Heather and Heather!”

Veronica frowned, kissing Duke on the cheek. “You’re not dumb. If it bothers you, then you should address it instead of trying to ignore it.”

Duke snorted as Veronica started trailing kisses along her jaw. “Says the girl who didn’t tell me I was her soulmate.”

“You know why.”

“I do, but I would have rather known so I could evaluate my feelings instead of getting all jealous without knowing why.”

Veronica shrugged. “Fair enough.”

Duke pushed at Veronica’s shoulder as she started kissing her way down Duke’s neck. “None of that just yet. I know you’re excited, but this feels kind of rushed.”

Veronica pouted, but let up anyway. “You’re probably right.”

Duke gave her a sympathetic smile. “Be patient. We only just got together.”

Veronica huffed. “I’ve been patient for over a decade now. I want kisses.”

Duke snickered as Veronica pulled her close, kissing her pretty much anywhere she could. “God, you’re so clingy.”

“Just making up for lost time,” Veronica muttered, “I’ll tone it down in a bit.”

“I don’t think I want you to. Not for a while, at least.”

Veronica grinned and nuzzled her face against Duke’s neck, pulling her onto her lap and holding her tight as she basked in the relief that came with learning that her soulmate loved her back.


	9. Chapter 9

Veronica hadn’t been able to breathe this easily in years.

Ever since she and Duke had started dating, Veronica had been over the moon. They spent every free moment they had together, and neither of them really felt like changing that.

They were a lot more cautious about spending too much time with one another around the other Heathers or at school. They deliberately did their best to keep their distance when they were surrounded by their classmates, but in private, they could be as affectionate as they wanted.

Veronica’s parents were ecstatic. They’d been so worried for her, and knowing the flowers were gone, even if it wasn’t all of them, was a huge weight off their shoulders. All they wanted was for her to be happy and healthy, and it looked like she was finally on her way to being both.

The other Heathers noticed Veronica’s newfound joy, and, while Chandler hadn’t deemed it important to ask about it, Mac was curious.

“You’re in a really good mood today,” she said one morning as they loitered in the restroom before first period.

Veronica shrugged. “I guess.”

“Did something good happen?”

Veronica nodded.

“Well, are you gonna tell us, or just keep us in suspense all day?” Mac seemed excited to hear whatever had Veronica smiling so much.

Veronica hummed thoughtfully and pretended to think hard about the decision.

“Veronica!” Mac whined.

Veronica chuckled. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll tell you.”

Duke shot her a nervous look, which Veronica answered with an easy smile. She didn’t have to tell the whole truth. Just enough to satisfy Mac’s curiosity.

“You uh, know how there was a student here with Hanahaki?” Veronica rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “That, uh… well, that was me.”

Mac looked horrified, while Chandler just looked at her in disbelief.

Veronica rushed to explain herself before Mac got even more worried. “It’s better now, though! My soulmate lo-likes me back!”

Mac blinked, then sighed with relief. “You had me worried for a second there.”

“Honestly? I was kind of worried, too,” Veronica admitted, “I mean, I’d been keeping those feelings secret for… a while. I’m glad it went as well as it did.”

“Me too,” Mac said.

“Who’s this soulmate of yours, if you don’t mind me asking?” Chandler asked, not looking away from her reflection as she touched up her makeup.

Veronica laughed nervously. “I’d rather not say, if that’s alright.”

Chandler shrugged. “Fine. I’ll probably figure it out sooner or later, anyway.” She stood up straight, adjusted her blazer, and turned to Veronica, pinning her in place with the intensity of her stare. “Not like anyone can hide things from me for long.”

“I don’t know about that,” Veronica snickered, “I kept my condition a secret for over a decade.”

Mac’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you say the roots could strangle your heart or something?!”

Even Chandler looked concerned. Or at least intrigued.

“Well, yeah, but it’s fine now,” Veronica said, “The Morning Glories are gone, so I don’t have to worry about them hurting me anymore. I’ve been pining for twelve years and I’m still kicking, so it’s gonna take more than that to take me down.”

Mac still seemed worried, but at least she wasn’t panicking. “Alright… still, when it gets that bad, you should tell someone.”

“How about this,” Veronica suggested, “If it happens again, and my soulmate asks about it, I’ll tell them. Sound good?”

Mac nodded hesitantly. “Fine. Just… don’t keep it a secret like that if it happens again, okay?”

“No problem.”

A moment later, the warning bell rang, and Veronica grabbed her bag.

“I’m gonna run to class,” she said, “Do any of you need me to make a fake pass?”

“No, you can go,” Chandler said, waving her hand dismissively.

Veronica almost laughed, but nodded instead, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the Demon Queen’s wrath so early in the day. She gave Duke one last smile, before rushing out of the bathroom towards her first class.

* * *

 

Chandler kept her eyes focused on her reflection until she heard the door close before turning on her heel to look at Duke and Mac.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument, “We’re going to do some digging, and we’re going to figure out who Veronica’s soulmate is.”

Duke tried not to show how nervous she was, her shoulders tensing and back straightening slightly despite her best efforts.

“Why are we going to do that?” Mac asked, “She said she didn’t want to talk about it yet.”

“I know what she said,” Chandler snapped, “But what if it’s some loser? How do you think that’s going to make us look? She can’t even accessorize, do you really think she’d be able to pick a fucking soulmate?”

“You don’t pick your soulmates,” Duke muttered.

“Shut up, Heather!”

“Sorry, Heather.”

Mac still seemed confused, but she didn’t dig any deeper into Chandler’s reasoning. “What do we need to do, then?”

“Ask around,” Chandler ordered, “If we’re lucky, we’ll know who it is by the end of the day.”

Duke allowed herself to relax. Although, she wasn’t sure whether to be glad or annoyed that Chandler didn’t suspect her. 

Whatever. At least she was safe from Chandler’s scrutiny. That would make it easier for them to go undetected, at least.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been a few weeks since Duke and Veronica started dating. They were still just as careful around Mac and Chandler as they had been at the beginning of their relationship. Veronica’s flowers hadn’t all gone away-the amaryllises and hibiscus flowers were still a frequent pain in the ass-but she was doing better. Duke was doing better, too. Veronica, as it turned out, was patient and supportive. She helped Duke lessen how often she purged, and helped her start to believe that she could actually get better.

They had hope together that hadn’t been there before.

Chandler, on the other hand, was becoming more and more agitated after being unable to figure out who Veronica’s (first) soulmate was. She’d asked every guy at their school, even the new kid, Jason Dean, but to no avail. Mac seemed…  _ mostly _ unbothered. Duke could tell she was paying more attention to who Veronica interacted with and how. They were a little more wary of Mac, because unlike Chandler, she kept a watchful eye on anyone who talked to Veronica, not just the boys. If either of the other Heathers was likely to figure it out on her own, it was Mac.

They wanted to be able to break character, stop pretending nothing was different between them, but they liked what they had at the moment. No spotlight on their relationship, no unsolicited advice, just comfortable, private bliss.

That being said, they did plan to eventually come clean about the fact that they were dating. Just preferably  _ after _ Chandler and Mac stopped searching for Veronica’s soulmate.

It would have been easier if Duke had been Veronica’s only soulmate.

* * *

 

Duke was startled awake by the sounds of loud, hacking coughs coming from Veronica’s bathroom. With a sigh, she pushed herself into a sitting position and slid out of the bed.

Veronica knelt over the toilet, coughing and gasping as paper thin pink Hibiscus petals and thick Amaryllis stems fought past her lips.

Duke frowned. It hurt her to see Veronica like this. She grabbed the scissors from the counter by the sink and held them out wordlessly for Veronica to take.

Veronica gave her a grateful smile as she took the scissors and started cutting through the stems, dropping them into the trash and flushing the petals.

“How are you feeling?” Duke whispered as she helped Veronica back to her feet.

“A little better, now that they’re going back down.” Veronica’s voice came out rough, hoarse from the strain the flowers had put on her throat.

“You’re really not going to tell them anything?”

Veronica shook her head. “Not unless they ask.”

A sigh, then, “I know you don’t want them feeling pressured, and I can respect that, but this is killing you. I don’t want to lose you so soon.”

“I know.” Veronica took Duke’s hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “I promise, I’m not going anywhere. If it gets too dangerous, I’ll tell them. Trust me, I know what I can handle.”

“You say that,” Duke sighed, “But you’ve been pushing this down for twelve years. Are you sure you know your limits?”

Veronica smiled. “Maybe not, but it’s gonna take more than some plants to get rid of me.”

“You don’t know that!”

Silence. Veronica stared down at her in surprise.

She reached out her hand. “Heather-”

“No.” Duke jerked away before she could make contact, and Veronica could see that she was blinking back tears. “I’ve read all the books you have about it. I know what this can do. It might not scare you anymore, but I’m terrified.”

“Dove, listen.” Veronica pulled Duke into a hug. “I’m scared. I’m dying and I don’t know what to do and it scares me. I know I could probably tell them and everything could stop hurting. I know that. But… but what if things don’t go that way? What if they don’t love me? What if I hand over my heart and get it broken? I don’t think I’m brave enough to try and find out.”

“Veronica…”

She heard a sniffle from above her, and when she backed out of the embrace, she saw Veronica holding back tears of her own.

“What if there’s no getting better?” Veronica’s voice was small, timid, like a mouse. “What if I can’t beat this?”

Duke’s eyes shone with determination (and tears) as she took Veronica’s hands in her own.

“You will,” she said, “You’ll beat this. You’ll get better, and we’ll all go on dates, and we’ll make you so,  _ so _ happy, because it’s what you deserve. You don’t deserve to hurt like this anymore, and I’m gonna do everything I can to make it stop hurting.”

Veronica laughed. “You think you can do that all on your own?”

“It’ll take a lot to keep me from trying.” Duke pulled Veronica out of the bathroom and led her back to the bed. “C’mon. It’s late and you’re like a human space heater.”

Veronica chuckled and complied, and soon Duke heard soft snoring from behind her. She smiled, and carefully maneuvered out of Veronica’s hold to retrieve the scissors, setting them down on the nightstand before climbing back into bed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chandler and Mac find out.
> 
> Sort of.

“Morning,” Veronica mumbled as she slid into the passenger seat of Chandler’s car.

Chandler quirked a brow at the rough sound of Veronica’s voice. “What happened to you? You sound like you’ve been smoking twelve packs a day.”

Veronica laughed humorlessly as she buckled her seatbelt. “Long story short, my condition was acting up again.”

Mac frowned. “I thought you said your soulmate loves you back.”

Veronica turned around in her seat. “When did I say that I only had one soulmate?”

Mac’s eyes widened, and Veronica thought she could hear Chandler’s breath hitch. She definitely didn’t imagine the way Chandler accidentally pressed too hard on the gas pedal as they drove down her street.

“How many soulmates do you have?” Mac asked.

“Three,” Veronica said, then, “That I know of, at least. Could be more.” Veronica turned to Chandler and chuckled. “Guess that means you’re gonna have to work a lot harder to figure out who my soulmates are, huh, Heather?”

“How do you know about that?” Chandler demanded.

Veronica shrugged. “Heather told me.”

Chandler huffed. “And has she told you that we’ve asked every guy at school and none of them knew what we were talking about?”

Veronica nodded. “I kinda wanted to talk to you about that. It’s pretty heteronormative of you to assume that all my soulmates are men. Or that any of them are, for that matter. For all you know, Martha could be my soulmate.”

Chandler scoffed. “As if. We both know she’s way too obsessed with Ram.”

“Which would make it such a shame if she were my soulmate, wouldn’t it?” Veronica shot Chandler a teasing smile.

Mac rushed to defuse the situation. “So are all of your soulmates girls?”

“Yup,” Veronica’s smile turned wistful, “Is it weird that I kinda miss the morning glories?”

“Yes,” Mac deadpanned.

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Oh relax. It’s not like the vines would have been thick enough to choke me.”

“But the roots were deep enough that they could have started to strangle your heart,” Mac argued.

“They  _ did _ start to strangle my heart.”

The car went silent.

It was Chandler who spoke next, her face somehow paler than usual. “What?”

Veronica grimaced. “I could feel it. Chest pains, irregular heartbeats, the whole nine. It’s getting that way with some of the other flowers at this point.”

“Then you need to tell whoever it is that you love them so it can stop!” Chandler shouted.

Veronica sighed. “I won’t. Not unless they ask, remember?”

Mac’s face scrunched up in frustration. “It’s killing you though!”

“I lasted twelve years with the morning glories. It’s only been eight with the hibiscus flowers, and even less than that with the amaryllises. I can last another few years, easy.”

Mac opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Chandler pulled into the student parking lot. Veronica got out as soon as the car stopped, beelining towards Duke’s jeep.

* * *

 

“You fucking told her?!” Chandler hissed the moment she and Mac were alone with Duke.

Duke shrugged. “I mean, yeah. Why?”

“You can’t just fucking tell her!”

“Why did you tell her?” Mac asked.

Duke pretended not to hear her. “Why don’t you want me telling her? It’s not like it really matters who her soulmate is.”

“It does when that soulmate isn’t me!” Chandler argued.

Duke froze, eyes wide, before breaking down into a fit of giggles.

“That’s what this is about?” she laughed, “You want to figure out who she’s dating because you’re  _ jealous? _ ”

Chandler’s face burned bright pink as she glowered down at Duke. “Shut  _ up, _ Heather.”

Mac had to suppress giggles of her own. “You know, when I think about it, that’s not really very surprising,” she gestured vaguely with her hands, “Y’know, considering that this is  _ you _ we’re talking about.”

Chandler groaned. “Stop.”

Duke managed to calm herself down enough to speak, although she still wouldn’t stop smiling. “You know she’s got more than one soulmate, right?”

Chandler’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How do you know that?”

“I ended up in the nurse’s office a while back and she was there,” Duke explained, “We got to talking and I saw the flowers in the trash can.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Mac asked.

“She was hiding it for a reason,” Duke muttered, “And she decided to trust me with something that’s  _ literally life and death. _ I didn’t want to make it seem like I wasn’t taking that seriously.”

Mac looked skeptical. “If that’s true, then wouldn’t she have asked you not to tell us?”

“I guess.”

Chandler wasn’t sure where this was going.

“Are…” Mac’s hands clenched into fists and released a few times, before she continued. “Are either of us her soulmates?”

Duke’s eyes widened, before she averted her gaze. “That’s not for me to say.”

“Are  _ you _ her soulmate?” Mac pried.

Duke refused to look at Chandler or Mac as she nodded.

Chandler seethed silently. It wasn’t  _ fair _ that Duke got to date Veronica and she didn’t.

Duke snorted. “You could qualify for the Olympics with that kind of mental gymnastics.”

“What?!” Chandler demanded. She hadn’t realized that she had said that out loud.

Duke shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m just saying, I never said you  _ weren’t _ one of her soulmates.”

That… actually did help.

“So your flowers were the morning glories?” Mac asked.

Duke nodded, clasping her hands behind her back as her cheeks turned pink. “She told me about them in the nurse’s office. She said she thinks I’m amazing, but I like to close myself off a lot, but when I do open up I’m  _ unbelievably radiant, _ so… yeah. Morning glories.”

Mac actually teared up at that. “That’s so cute.”

Duke giggled, covering her face with her hands.

“What’s it like?” Mac asked, “Dating Veronica, I mean.”

“Oh my god, it’s amazing,” Duke gushed, “We mostly stay in for dates because… well, you and Heather were so dead set on finding out who Veronica’s soulmate is. We kind of wanted to hold on to our privacy for as long as we could. If you didn’t know, then there wouldn’t be anyone examining our relationship or offering advice that nobody asked for.”

“That’s fair,” Mac conceded.

“Honestly date nights in are probably my favorite,” Duke admitted, “Veronica just fucking dotes on me and… I like feeling important to someone, y’know? She’s the best girlfriend I could have ever asked for, and part of me hates that I’m not her only soulmate, but she’s got a lot of love to give, and I can only take so much before it starts to be too much, so maybe it’s for the best.” At that, Duke’s smile turned smug. “If nothing else, I get to say that I was her first love.”

Chandler huffed. “Not her only love, though.”

Duke shrugged. “I don’t get to decide who she falls in love with. But hey, at least my flowers weren’t  _ roses. _ ”

“...Roses?” Chandler looked horrified.

“Yeah, she can’t stand the damn things now,” Duke said, “Can’t say I blame her, though. Good thing she changed it.”

“To what?” Chandler asked.

“Amaryllises,” Duke snickered, “Which are honestly  _ very _ fitting.”

“Why’s that?” Mac asked.

“You’ve heard of flower language, right? How each flower has a different meaning?” At Mac and Chandler’s answering nods, Duke continued, “Amaryllises mean  _ pride _ and  _ splendid beauty. _ ”

Mac burst out laughing at that. “You’re right. Those  _ are _ fitting.”

Chandler’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Mac and Duke exchanged a glance, before they both broke down into helpless giggles.


	12. Not In Love (Yet)

Veronica never liked having an audience when the flowers started coming up.

From the first time she’d coughed up Hibiscus blossoms for Heather McNamara, hiding in the bushes with Martha, to the one and only time the roses came up for Chandler in fifth grade, Betty rushing into the bathroom and watching with horror as blood soaked petals hit the tiled floor and thorns cut her up from the inside. She knew it was a terrible thing to watch. She knew her parents and friends and soulmates all worried, and the ones who had seen firsthand what the flowers looked like as they fought their way free from her throat worried even more.

That’s why she tried to keep it private. She didn’t want to scare anyone.

* * *

 

Mac was at her house for their weekly tutoring/study session, working on figuring out how to do the work for the newest unit. Veronica was proud of her progress. Her test and quiz scores had skyrocketed from Ds and Fs to As and Bs ever since they’d started meeting up to work on it together, and Veronica loved seeing those triumphant smiles when Mac would come to lunch holding a test paper with a score in the nineties.

More than that, she loved seeing how proud Mac was of herself whenever she made progress.

Part of her knew that Mac would end up causing one of her flare-ups if she wasn’t careful to control where her mind wandered, and for the most part, she was careful.

Tonight, though, she felt that telltale feeling as she watched Mac smile down at the completed equations. She bolted to the bathroom the moment she knew, forgetting to close the door in her haste. She bent over the toilet and coughed, petals flinging themselves into the water as she fought to control her breathing.

The gasp from the doorway made her flinch, and when she looked up and locked eyes with Mac, she knew that there was no way to spin this that would keep her from worrying.

The stems pushed past her lips, full blossoms erupting from her mouth, the thin petals clumped together with spit, and Veronica reached into her pocket-

Shit.

Her scissors.

Where were her scissors?

Groaning with frustration, she pushed the stems to the side, wincing at the tugging sensation as she forced them between her teeth and bit down harshly, the taste making her grimace as she gnawed through them.

There was no sense of triumph when the stems were severed, no relief when they retreated back down her throat. No satisfaction when she tossed them into the trash and flushed the petals. Just a strange empty sort of shame at how careless she’d been.

“Sorry…” she rasped, “Sorry you had to see that.”

“Don’t,” Mac said, taking a step forward, “You don’t need to apologize for that.”

Veronica frowned. “I never meant for you to have to watch me cough those up. It’s…”

“Terrifying?” Mac offered.

“Yeah.”

Mac shrugged. “Still nothing to apologize for. You can’t help it.”

Veronica smiled ruefully. “I guess you’re right.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about those, actually.” Mac shifted her weight from foot to foot, wringing her hands nervously. “Am… am I one of your soulmates?”

Veronica sighed. She _had_ promised to tell them if they asked.

“Yeah.”

“But… I do have feelings for you.”

“It’s fine,” Veronica said, “It’s not love yet, but that’s okay. That takes time. Heather and I… the Morning Glories went away because she loves me, and I’m okay with waiting until you’re at that point, too.”

“I don’t want you to die because of me.”

“And I won’t. This-” Veronica gestured to the flowers in the trash, “Isn’t your fault. You didn’t force me to fall in love with you.”

That didn’t seem to be as reassuring as Veronica had hoped.

She sighed. “Look. I’m… fucking terrified of what might happen. Part of me feels like I’m just counting down the days at this point, waiting for everything to go to shit, but I have never once blamed any of you for this. You have never been the one at fault. It’s me and my stupid fucking heart that decided to fall for the three of you, end of story. And yeah, I’m scared to die, but I feel like… ever since Heather and I got together, I feel like there’s hope for me again. And… you said you have feelings for me, and that makes me feel even more hopeful, because those feelings aren’t love yet, but they _can_ be, eventually. So my chances of beating this get better with every one of you that feels that way about me.”

That seemed to do the trick. Mac looked a lot less scared.

“Can we… can we date?” Mac asked.

Veronica nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Can I kiss you?”

Veronica grinned. “Normally I’d say yes, but I just chewed through flower stems because I don’t have my scissors, so I should probably brush my teeth first.”

Mac giggled. “Fine. You’ve waited this long. A couple minutes shouldn’t be too bad, right?”

Veronica snickered. “Right.”

“Oh, before I forget,” Mac said, “Heather’s your other soulmate, right?”

Veronica nodded.

“Thought so. She has a thing for you, too. Pretty much went off on Heather because she wanted to date you instead.”

Veronica laughed. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m completely serious. She practically threw a tantrum right there in front of us.”

 _“Jesus,_ how’d I fall for someone that dramatic?”

Mac smiled. “Dunno, but it definitely makes things interesting.”

“Does she know?”

“That she’s your soulmate?” Mac shook her head. “She has no idea.”

“Dear lord.”

“I know! She’s so focused on figuring out who her competition is that she hasn’t stopped to consider that she might actually have a chance!”

Veronica rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. “Well hopefully she gets a clue, because the Amaryllises are kind of a pain in the ass.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment if you like, and don't hesitate to send me an ask on tumblr at shanes-scribbles!


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